Austin ‘disappointed, hurt’ and ‘angry’ - but ‘hungry to get going again’

Cobblers boss Dean Austin admits to being ‘disappointed, hurt’ and ‘angry’ in the days following his team’s sub-standard performance in Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to Cheltenham, but that he is now ‘hungry to get going again’.

Town return to Sky Bet League Two action on Saturday when they travel to fellow strugglers Port Vale, and Austin is keen for his team to quickly set the record straight after last weekend’s setback.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work out what’s going wrong

Cobblers boss Dean Austin

Austin was pleased with the way his team started the game, but then looked on in dismay as Cheltenham took the lead with their first serious attack, with his team unable to respond as he expected them to.

“Having gone though many emotions over the past few days, and watched the game back three times, my opinion hasn’t really altered from what I felt standing at the side of the pitch,” said the Cobblers boss.

“For the first 30 or 35 minutes we played very well, but the first time Cheltenham entered out box and got first contact, they scored, and that is frustrating.

“In the past few days I have been extremely disappointed, hurt, angry and frustrated, but now I am ready and hungry to get going again.”

And Austin then reiterated his belief that his players have to sharpen up at both ends of the pitch.

“I am not going to sit here and shy away from things, but I have all the stats regarding everything from the start of the season,” said the Town manager.

“We have had more shots than any other team in league two, we have had more shots at home than any other team in league two, and I think we have conceded the second least amount of chances at home, yet we haven’t won a game.

“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work out what’s going wrong.

“Our football and the way we are playing has progressed quite nicely, but that’s not what the game is all about. You have to be able to put the ball in the net at one end, and keep it out at the other end, as if your life depended on it.

“That is where we are coming up short at the minute, and it is there for everybody to see.

“I will never stand here and blame the players, because I am the manager and the buck stops with me, but at the end of the day we have to be more ruthless in both boxes.

“What we have to do is work even harder to turn the form around, because it’s plain and simple, the results haven’t been good enough.”